A MAN has been jailed for 11 years for sexually abusing an underage teenage girl and then perverting the course of justice by offering her money not to give evidence.

Komar Mardan, 36, of Laisteridge Lane, Bradford, was convicted after a trial of four offences of non-recent sexual activity with a child.

He and Hamaad Naser, 21, of Parkway, West Bowling, Bradford, were also sentenced at Bradford Crown Court today for intending to pervert the course of justice.

Mardan was convicted by a jury of that offence. Naser pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

Prosecutor Matthew Bean read a victim impact statement from the woman saying her life had been blighted by fear, shame and guilt.

Mr Bean said that an aggravating feature of the case was that Mardan gave her alcohol before abusing her.

His barrister, Rodney Ferm, said he had worked long hours to make a success of things after coming to the United Kingdom.

He was in custody for the first time and knew he had no one to blame but himself. His wife and four children would have to suffer the consequences of his incarceration.

Mardan had written a letter to the court saying his father was very ill and the family relied on him for financial support.

In mitigation for Naser, Michael Morley said his family and colleagues must be ‘staring in amazement and horror’ at the fact that he was in the dock connected to the case.

He had no concept of the enormity of what he was doing when he committed the offence. He had made a phone call that ‘laid a crystal clear trail of evidence right back to himself.’ He did not appreciate what the wider case was about; only that Mardan did not want to go to prison.

Naser wanted to apologise to the woman for his actions.

He had no previous convictions and had been remanded in custody for four months, serving the equivalent of an eight-month jail sentence.

Judge Ahmed Nadim said Mardan contacted the girl on the internet and bought her alcohol and chocolate as part of a grooming process.

She was manipulated and exploited by him and the combination of threats and grooming led to him sexually abusing her.

After the matter was reported to the police, Mardan and Naser were involved in offering money in an attempt to stop her giving evidence.

It was ‘an audacious attack’ on the justice system, Judge Nadim said.

The message must go out that such offending would result in condign punishment.

Mardan will have to register as a sex offender for life. The judge made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order without limit of time and a restraining order for life.

He will serve two thirds of the 11 years in prison and then be released on licence.

Judge Nadim said Naser’s offending was very serious, intending to frustrate the proceedings against Mardan.